(NORTHROP GRUMMAN)

Northrop Grumman has delivered the first production-representative Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS) engagement control centre (EOC) to the US Army.

The company says the IBCS EOC completed all functional configuration audits for major configuration items and system verification review, and is representative of the production configuration for hardware and software that will undergo qualification testing before an initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E).

“This milestone is testament of the significant progress toward operational capability that will make pivotal differences to warfighters, commanders and acquisition officials,”, Northrop Grumman’s vice president and general manager missile defense and protective systems, Dan Verwiel said in a statement.

“We will be delivering more EOCs as well as IBCS integrated fire control network (IFCN) relays in the near future. These articles will be used for initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E), which informs future production decisions.”

IBCS is designed to replace traditional ‘stove-piped’ IAMD systems with a net-centric approach to better address an evolving array of threats. The open-architecture system integrates disparate radars and weapons to construct an effective IAMD enterprise, and delivers a single integrated air picture with broader surveillance and protection areas.